I noticed yesterday that the Sunday Times has a new Pets page in the Home Section, so of course I headed straight there! The first question in the 'Ask the Vet' section is about feeding dogs raw meaty bones - RMB or the BARF diet (bones and raw food, not the obvious, although that might be the result!) 

This has been a contentious issue in the profession and in doggy circles for many years. As always, there are arguments on both sides. Yes, raw meat and bones are a 'natural' diet, but in the wild, wolves would eat the whole dead animal, not just the bones, so it is not an entirely balanced meal. Wolves also do not live as long as our dogs so if their teeth wear out after 8 years of bones it doesn't matter so much...

I am personally in favour of giving dogs large, uncooked beef bones as an extra from time to time; I think they can be good for preventing plaque build-up on the teeth and dogs love them. If you have more than one dog, though, beware - bones are a prime cause of fights, because they are so desirable.

One of the main problems is that raw chicken bones are often recommended. None of us humans would dream of eating raw chicken due to the risk of salmonella or campylobacter, and dogs do frequently pick up these infections on this diet so that is a worry. Bones can also cause obstructions occasionally.

I have seen very healthy dogs kept on the RMB/BARF diet, and if people are happy with it, then that's fine by me. For myself, however, the convenience, nutritional value and balance of proprietary diets are far preferable to the risks associated with RMB so I will be continuing to advise this for my patients for the forseeable future.